Blogs and Commentary

MJ: Salisbury Is Good for Division III

It's okay to root against Salisbury. It's okay to say the Sea
Gulls win because they have more resources or get better
players -- even if it's not necessarily true -- if it
makes you feel better when they win another title, like they did
last night in impressive fashion over Tufts, 19-7. It's alright to
come up with other excuses why the Eastern Shore factory has won
the second-most national championships in Division III history.

But it's not okay to say that Salisbury's success is bad for the
division.

The Sea Gulls' domination over the past two
decades has raised the bar for everyone else and
they should be applauded for what they've accomplished. Without
them around, there is no benchmark for other aspiring teams to meet
and, on occasion, exceed.

And Salisbury is just the macro example of a common theme in
Division III lacrosse.

On the conference level, if Middlebury doesn't win seven NESCAC
championships in a row, there is no standard for Tufts to meet.
Without Gettysburg ruling the Centennial for years, we wouldn't
have the emergent Dickinson and Haverford programs. Without Ohio
Wesleyan and Denison creating higher expectations in the NCAC,
there is no Wittenberg ascendency. Even in Salisbury's own
conference, the CAC, the Sea Gulls have essentially laid the
blueprint for Stevenson's rise.

Bringing it to an even smaller level, we can look at it
seasonally. If RIT doesn't finish undefeated in the Empire 8,
Nazareth doesn't have the strength to qualify for the NCAA
tournament. Powerful teams, at all levels and within all
timeframes, are good for Division III lacrosse and should be lauded
-- quietly, if you prefer -- for what they achieve, even if
you root against them.

Taking a different tack on this Salisbury appreciation tour,
Tufts magical run last year is just an interesting story as opposed
to the sensation it became without Jim Berkman's team playing the
antagonist. If the Jumbos beat Stevenson or Roanoke -- other
teams searching for their first title -- it would not have
resonated as much as slaying the mighty Sea Gulls.

It's also important to remember that Salisbury did not invent
this paradigm. They are just the latest model. Without the 12
consecutive national titles by Hobart to kick off the Division's
existence in 1980, there is no archetype for the Sea Gulls to
emulate.

It's okay to become annoyed at the sometimes insufferable
Salisbury fans puffing their chests out again for another year. But
be appreciative that the Sea Gulls are more than willing to wear
the bulls-eye for every other team in Division III to shoot at.